


monsters stuck in your head

by WithYourRhythm



Category: Naruto
Genre: 30 Minute Fic, Alternate Universe - Criminals, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Thieves, Crimes & Criminals, Emotional Hurt, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Illegal Activities, Not Beta Read, gemstones
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-15
Updated: 2020-03-15
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:41:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23162653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WithYourRhythm/pseuds/WithYourRhythm
Summary: "You're still grieving." Mei points out with a curious tone. Kakashi refuses to look at her, but he can see the wild red strands that are in his field of vision. "I can't not look.""I'm not." He replies. "I'm doing my job."Or,Being a thief suits Mei- but Kakashi? He has always been better at grieving rather than stealing.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato, Hatake Kakashi & Terumi Mei
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	monsters stuck in your head

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zombie_honeymoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zombie_honeymoon/gifts).



> A 30 minute fic for the Kakashi Lounge Discord server event. This is for sammie (they also wrote a wonderful KakaKisa fic for this event to me, go check it out!!)- my prompts were "thunder, shy; Kakashi/Mei, Kakashi/Mei/Kisame, can also be gen; “I’ve seen the way you look at me when you think I don’t notice.”; a small gemstone carved into a cat". I tried my best, I hope you like it!
> 
> This is not betaed. The title is from 'Monsters' by Ruelle.

The shop they're in is cozy, located in a small building that seems old but well-cared. They sell little trinkets, unusual items that belong to dozens of years before this era, weapons that only those who are specifically looking for them can find. It's closed at this hour, but nowhere is off limits for two worldwide thieves like him and Mei.

Kakashi finds that he doesn't entirely hate this place.

"Maa," He turns his head a little to check out another stand in the middle of the shop. Eyeing the gemstones that are put together in a small box, he hums. "Are you even sure what we're looking for is here?"

The sky rumbles outside. A bright shine that makes his lone eye twitch when he catches the sight of it pulls his attention. It comes from an item on top of a table at the corner of the shop- the table itself is made from wood but has it's surface full of scratches and smears of old, dried paint of all colors.

Strange. Everything about the shop tells the story of a poor but caring owner, someone nostalgic who can't bring themselves to get rid of things that should've been changed long ago. There are countless aged items, fixed and polished again and again regardless; but this table proves it all wrong with how dirty it looks despite the gems on it.

Kakashi abandons the stand he's in front of to walk toward the table. He loves puzzles, they're one of his rarely seen weaknesses.

"I wouldn't bring us here if I wasn't." Mei's voice comes a few feet away from him. She's probably still waiting by the entrance of the shop, too careful to enter into an unknown building with all this madness going on. She's always been the smartest one between the two of them. "I heard the owner of the shop found it in the forest and brought it to his shop. He believed it to be a small accessory made from some kind of pretty-colored stone, didn't even think such a small piece could cost thousands of dollars."

Leaning forward a little, Kakashi checks the items on the table.

More trinkets.

"So you think he brought it to his shop to sell it?" He asks to clarify.

"I know he did." A sigh follows Mei's reply. Her careful but insistent footsteps reach to Kakashi's ears as she walks closer and closer, all the way across the small shop to reach his side. She leans against the table he's standing by, her hip pressed firmly on the wood, and her sharp glare is heavy on the blind side of Kakashi's face. "He's an old man with money problems and too much love for the world. He wouldn't know what to do with it if not sell it."

"Maybe he gave it to his daughter," Kakashi points to the picture on the wall with his chin, then looks on the table to find the item that had pulled his attention with its brightness. "He has her picture, and the frame is expensive despite how poor he is. He cares about her."

"Not likely," She turns her head to look at the picture. "He obviously lives alone, the dust all over the shop and the amount of empty take-out boxes prove that. His daughter is not around here."

He picks the item up. It's a small accessory, an earring with no signs of it's pair visible. It's also what their client asked for.

"You're right. Found it."

The gem's shape is kind of on the delicate side, nothing Kakashi nor Mei would like. He doesn't feel very interested in it's story, the reason why it's so expensive. Instead, the small gemstone by it catches his eye. He puts the earring to the pocket of his jeans to reach and take a hold of it with light fingers, careful not to harm the stone. Bemused, he realizes that he has a cat in his hand, carved from some kind of blue stone. Not a fancy item, not something that would be useful to a shinobi nor to a civilian, just a gemstone with decorative purposes.

It reminds Kakashi of the color of Minato's eyes. The exact shade it had been before he went out of his way to try saving a kid despite being a worldwide criminal, a thief that took all kinds of jobs except those that could harm innocent people.

He grips the cat tighter, and takes a shaky breath. He can't do this, not now. Mei is still watching him.

"I've seen the way you look at me," He says at last. He tries to paint his voice with boredom, but it doesn't feel like he succeeds. "when you think I don't notice."

"You're still grieving." Mei points out with a curious tone. Kakashi refuses to look at her, but he can see the wild red strands that are in his field of vision. "I can't _not_ look."

"I'm not." He ducks down to hide his face, feeling embarrassment burning through his chest. "I'm doing my job."

"You can deny it all you want, but no matter how much you steal for our clients or for yourself, it won't change the fact that Minato is gone."

And he is. Kakashi knows that, but not all of his teacher is gone. Minato has taught Kakashi well, and a part of him lives on with Kakashi.

He pockets the small, cat shaped gemstone. He feels like it carries the dumb luck Minato always had until the day he didn't.

"All wounds heal with time." He says, then turns back to walk towards the door. His cheeks are red, but he doesn't know if it's because the whirlwind of emotions he feels, or the embarrassment of learning Mei can _see_ him.

The sky rumbles again, and lightning flashes around him.

 _Scars_ _don't,_ Minato's voice says in his head.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been struggling with writing for a while, but surprisingly, I managed to write this much in 30 minutes. I didn't expect it to be this long at all- I feel good about this <3
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr as @withyourrhythm too!


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